As many of you may know, our Schools & Communities Team Leader Miriam Pellicano has been on extended leave for the last six months. During this time, her role was filled by Ms Sarah Fletcher, who came to us from the Sydney Business School at the University. Sarah confidently took over the many responsibilities and challenges of her assignment, and we in the Compass team feel privileged to have worked with her. Sarah now returns to her role as Careers Services Manager in the Business School. We are delighted to welcome Miriam back to the office!

Free Teachers Evening at the Macleay Museum - Stage 4, 5, adn 6 Australian History. See Professional Learning section below for details.

It's great to see more teachers signing up to attend the Faculty of Education & Social Work's National Curriculum preparation sessions between August and November! Please click on the Office of Professional Learning for more information, or scroll to the the bottom of the page for details.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

SECONDARY

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Promote Yourself: E12 & Merit Scholarships

31 July - 19 August | all registered high schoolsThe workshop provides support in drafting persuasive applications for the E12 program and merit scholarships.

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Year 10 Preparation for Senior Study - school-based sessions

Thursday 8 August | in-schoolFaculty of Education and Social Work students visit Compass schools for the Term 3 session of the Preparation for Senior Study program.

Liverpool Boys HS

Liverpool Girls HS

Fairfield HS

Kogarah HS

Marrickville HS

Westfield Sports HS

TEACHERS

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Australian Curriculum - Preparing for Implementation

Friday 9 August | The University of SydneyStage 4 & 5 MathematicsSee Professional Learning section below for more information.

SECONDARY

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Year 11 & 12 Post-School Options Day

Monday 12 August |Speakers from Models of Achievement will join school staff, former students, and community leaders at Liverpool Girls and Boys High Schools to bring information and workshops on universities and other post-school options to senior students.

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Year 7 Explore Uni Day

Tuesday 13 August - Liverpool Boys HSThursday 15 August - Condell Park HSStudents are introduced to the university environment at the beginning of their high school career so that they can see it is a realistic option for the future.

Saturday 17 August | The University of SydneyStage 4 & 5 EnglishSee Professional Learning section below for more information.

PRIMARY

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Science Unleashed at the Australian Museum

20 – 22 August | The Australian MuseumAustralia's biggest science festival.Compass primary schools who have registered to attend should have received confirmation from the Museum. Please contact us if you need more information.

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Investig8 Uni

Wednesday 21 August | The University of SydneyWho: 50 Year 8 students from Compass partner schoolsWhat: Students will

Take part in two hands-on activities ("electives" delivered by university academics and staff

Listen to inspiring speakers who have made a journey from school to higher education

Spend the day with university students who are available to answer questions about uni life

Compass coordinators should have received an email and registration pack - please contact us if you haven't received yours!

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Year 7 Explore Uni Day

Thursday 22 August | The University of SydneySir Joseph Banks HSStudents are introduced to the university environment at the beginning of their high school career so that they can see it is a realistic option for the future.

PARENTS

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Open Day at the University of Sydney

Saturday 31 August | The University of SydneyFind out everything you need to know about undergraduate study at uni

Compass invites you, your students, their parents and families to join us for Open Day on Saturday 31 August and find out everything you need to know about undergraduate study at the University of Sydney. In addition to all of the fabulous University organised activities Compass will be offering consultation on scholarship and E12 applications, lunch for parents and students and assistance in finding your way around.

Contact the Compass team if you would like to arrange to bring a large group from your school

Compass invites you and your family to join us for Open Day on Saturday 31 August and find out everything you need to know about undergraduate study at the University of Sydney. In addition to all of the fabulous University organised activities Compass will be offering consultation on scholarship and E12 applications, lunch for parents and students and assistance in finding your way around.

Consultation on scholarship and E12 application sessions are 20mins long from 10am -3pm. Students will have the opportunity to work with a tutor one on one to polish their scholarship application drafts.

RSVP to lunch:

Lunch will be from 12.30-1.30pm in the Refectory Room – Main Quadrangle – below the Nicholson Museum.

Transport: On Open Day, a free shuttle bus will run between Central railway station (Railway Square) and the Camperdown Campus.

A "Meet our Students" page which profiles some of the fabulous students who came to the University this year through E12.

Please share this information with Year 12 advisers, careers advisers, and anyone else who might be assisting senior students with their university applications.

* Applications open on 7 August.

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Year 10 Information Evening podcast now available

For careers advisers and year advisers: Information from the University's annual Year 10 Info Evening – on subject selection, ATARs, and pathways to university – is now available online as a podcast and PDF slideshow.

Convicts, bushrangers and rebellious diggers became standard tourist fare surprisingly early. At the same time, Australia’s past was also acquiring a patina of nostalgia, as artists discovered the beauties of colonial architecture and country towns recognised the benefits of promoting their history to tourists. From Port Arthur to the Dog on the Tuckerbox, this exhibition explores the variety of pasts that tourists visited, the exhibits that drew them in and the souvenirs they took away. The exhibition runs from 26 August 2013 until 15 February 2014 at the Macleay Museum, Gosper Lane off Science Road at the University of Sydney.

PRIMARY

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Teaching Writing K-6

Friday, August 16, 2013 | 9am–3pm |

Discuss examples of students' writing and the role that teachers may have played in their students' development as writers.

Clarify what needs to be taught to students K–6 to help them learn to write (writing processes, forms of writing, conventions and skills of writing, and writing strategies) and

Identify how that may be accomplished (through modelled, shared, guided and independent writing and reading)

Examine closely one of the strategies (spelling) to see what this looks like in practice

Contact Victoria Loy at Compass for more information.You can use your school's Professional Learning fund from Compass to register.

Discuss examples of students' writing and the role that teachers may have played in their students' development as writers.

Clarify what needs to be taught to students K–6 to help them learn to write (writing processes, forms of writing, conventions and skills of writing, and writing strategies) and

Identify how that may be accomplished (through modelled, shared, guided and independent writing and reading)

Examine closely one of the strategies (spelling) to see what this looks like in practice.

PresenterRobyn Wild has worked for the NSW Department of Education and Training as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, literacy consultant and senior curriculum officer in the Early Learning Unit. She works part-time at Macquarie University in the Education Faculty and the Institute of Early Childhood, and at the University of Sydney.

Past feedback"Robyn is very informative, with great tips and information, she helps to make learning meaningful by giving us a chance to practice, discuss, and the videos helped make things more clear. ""Thanks for a comprehensive, informative course. I love the games for engaging children during guided reading time.""It was very worthwhile. Thank you for allowing me to look at comprehension in a different light.""Thank you for great ideas that can be put into use easily. ""Excellent presentation... Robyn is so animated, interesting and relevant – love, love, love her!"

Fees and enquiries$242 per person (incl. GST)

Contact Victoria Loy at Compass for more information.You can use your school's Professional Learning fund from Compass to register.

SECONDARY

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National Curriculum - Preparing for Implementation

Friday 9 August - Stage 4 & 5 Mathematics

Saturday 17 August - Stage 4 & 5 English

September dates TBA - Stage 4 & 5 History and Science

These courses are aimed at providing teachers of students in stages 4 and 5 with the confidence, strategies and support materials to successfully implement the new content and methodology.Visit the Office of Professional Learning's website to see details of each course. "Australian Curriculum – English" is approved as 4.5 hours of NSWIT-registered professional development for maintenance of accreditation at Professional Competence level; course code 2013OPL-ACE. The scope of endorsement is five years for all elements of the Professional Teaching Standards. If relevant to you, provide your six-digit institute number when you register.

The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute has joined with the Young and Well CRC, Movember and beyondblue to declare it is 'game on' for tackling the mental health and wellbeing of young men aged 16 to 25, after their national survey revealed almost 20 percent of young men do not think their life is worth living.

The first Young and Well National Survey, a scientific study of young men from across Australia, identified alarming statistics that suggest our current mental health system is failing young men, including:

nearly one in five young men in the past 12 months have felt that life is hardly worth living

nearly one in 10 young men having thought about taking their own life

unemployment and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviour

University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence has reiterated that the University has no plans to follow the University of NSW and set a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) across the board at this time.UNSW last week announced it planned to set a minimum ATAR of 80 from next year to limit enrolments."We...believe that providing a quality student experience for all students, including those from less-privileged backgrounds, helps to ensure their success at University."

Students can submit their 2013 E12 Early Offer applications from 6 August - 10 Septmber. But more than 100 successful 2012 applicants are already halfway through their first year at the University of Sydney. How are they doing?

"The E12 scheme has been like a dream, not like reality. I’d been trying really hard to get good marks since I returned to Australia, and I did get quite a good ATAR, but it was very helpful that the E12 scheme took into account my broader circumstances.In fact I’ve found the whole E12 package a really good introduction to uni. It broke the ice to begin with, and even now it keeps me motivated and really keeps me at uni, with continued support like mentoring and so on.

Students can submit their 2013 E12 Early Offer applications from 6 August - 10 Septmber. More than 100 successful 2012 applicants are now studying at the University of Sydney - how are they doing?

Karim Bizri has wanted to be an engineer since he was six years old, constructing whole cities from building blocks. But having had an interrupted school life, attending a disadvantaged high school and being the first in his family to aim for university, he’d thought the University of Sydney would be beyond his reach. Then he heard about the E12 scheme, and now he’s at Sydney studying for his dream job as an electrical engineer."The E12 scheme has been like a dream, not like reality. I’d been trying really hard to get good marks since I returned to Australia, and I did get quite a good ATAR, but it was very helpful that the E12 scheme took into account my broader circumstances.In fact I’ve found the whole E12 package a really good introduction to uni. It broke the ice to begin with, and even now it keeps me motivated and really keeps me at uni, with continued support like mentoring and so on.Although my interest in engineering started with building blocks, I’m less interested in civil engineering now! I’d like to specialise in power and electrical engineering, particularly in renewable energy. I just got a car and I’m finding petrol really expensive, so I’d like to look at ways of generating power without using fossil fuels such as coal and petrol."

Models of Achievement showcases Australians from Greater Western Sydney who have changed their lives through higher education and are making some remarkable contributions to the country's future. Upcoming episodes focus on students who became video producers, lawyers, nurses, and firefighter/doctors!

Next episode: After being threatened by then-Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka for her political news articles, Asha decided it was time to flee her native Fiji and turn her skills to teaching others. Following her Master of Professional Communication degree, Asha has since earned her PhD. And a serious health scare in the middle of his university studies hasn’t prevented Steven from swapping a life down on the farm for a bright career ahead in the juvenile justice system.

Models of Achievement showcases Australians from Greater Western Sydney who have changed their lives through higher education and are making some remarkable contributions to the country's future. Upcoming episodes focus on students who became video producers, lawyers, nurses, and firefighter/doctors!

Next episode: After being threatened by then-Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka for her political news articles, Asha decided it was time to flee her native Fiji and turn her skills to teaching others. Following her Master of Professional Communication degree, Asha has since earned her PhD. And a serious health scare in the middle of his university studies hasn’t prevented Steven from swapping a life down on the farm for a bright career ahead in the juvenile justice system.

Are you using iPads in the classroom?Enquiring Minds, Models of Achievement's little sister, now has an app!

As you may have already seen, the series profiles young students with a passion - animals, robots, computer games, mummies - and links them with a current student and academic in the field who explains how they have turned a similar passion or hobby into a career.

The website, game, and videos are bright, friendly, and fun, with heaps of goodies for teachers, including lesson plans linked to syllabus outcomes.